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Canadian Video Game Industry Shows Sustained Growth

TORONTO, May 30, 2011 /CNW/ - Approximately 16,000 artists, innovators,
and designers are employed by the Canadian video game industry
according to a new report from Secor Consulting released today by the
Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC). Over the past two
years, despite the economic recession, the industry grew by 11%
annually and is projected to grow more rapidly over the next two years
at 17% per year.

With nearly 350 companies, Canada's video game industry is
conservatively estimated to contribute $1.7B to Canada's economy. The
Canadian video game industry remains the third largest in the world, or
in first place on a per capita basis based on the employment levels in
other countries. Quebec leads the Canadian video game industry with
over half of the country's jobs and a high proportion of large game
developers and publishers located there.

"Canada is a dominant player in producing world-class entertainment.
Accordingly, the video game sector plays a key role in the development
and health of Canada's advanced digital economy," said Danielle Parr,
Executive Director of ESAC, the trade association for Canada's computer
and video game industry. "Not only is this industry a net job creator,
but it's providing knowledge-intensive, challenging jobs that pay well
above the national average," she added.

The research found that the average salary in the Canadian video game
sector ranged between $40,000 and $73,000 per year, compared to the
$29,000 median income in the rest of the Canadian economy. Jobs in the
video game industry tend to be held in the majority by younger workers.

Parr highlighted the Canadian video game industry's success as a
full-service hub for video game development in a speech today at the
Empire Club in Toronto. She noted that this success is the result of a
mixture of factors including well-established expertise in video game
development, access to highly skilled and adaptable workers, a rich
ecosystem of video game development and support facilities and economic
factors, comprising of government programs and a traditionally
favourable exchange rate.

"Canada is a powerhouse in the global video game production industry,
but we need to be vigilant as the industry evolves to ensure that
infrastructure and policies keep pace so we can maintain and extend our
leadership position," said David Tait, Partner at Secor Consulting

Danielle Parr also underlined the need for governments to remain alert
in its approach to ever-changing digital industries:

"Issues like labour mobility and intellectual property protection are
central to the video game industry's continued success. Without a
competitive and harmonized operating environment, Canada's
attractiveness as a jurisdiction for globally integrated companies can
diminish quickly."

ESAC is the voice of the dynamic and growing video and computer game
industry in Canada. Association members include the nation's leading
entertainment software developers and publishers including Electronic
Arts, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Canada, Nintendo of
Canada, Sony Computer Entertainment Canada, Disney Interactive Studios,
THQ, Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, Ludia and Take Two
Interactive, as well as distributors Solutions2Go and Team One
Marketing.